Running after dark has never been my favorite thing. There was a time when I managed it, in order to spend time with a running friend, but she got injured and I went back to my beloved mornings.
Nothing Good Happens After Dark
It’s not that I’m scared of the dark, exactly, but I feel like more nefarious things happen after sunset than before sunrise. I have zero evidence of this, of course, so your mileage may vary. I would rather start in dark and have the light dawn than the reverse.
Running At Night Revs Me Up
For me, runs and workouts acts almost as stimulant. They get me pumped and excited for the day, and I ride that wave for several hours. When I come in from a night run, I am typically amped up and it takes me a while to settle down. Since I’m an early riser, this doesn’t work well for me.
Fueling Is A Struggle For Night Runs
When I run in the morning, I go out on a mostly empty stomach, which seems to work best for me. The idea of running after a full day of eating feels heavy and cumbersome, no matter how light and healthy my meals are. It’s not my favorite.
It’s Hotter At Night
There are varying opinions on this but I feel like the evenings are hotter and more humid than the mornings. When you live in Florida, this matters more than you might think. The pavement holds on to the heat of the day, making night running way more uncomfortable for me.
Night Brings The Bugs
Once the sun starts to go down, the biting bugs come on out. Mosquitos, no-see-ums, and yellow flies are just some of the stinging varieties that make evening running absolutely miserable for me.
Do you prefer morning or night running?
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For me, mornings are dark and I do not run in the dark.
I usually run after work unless I can squeeze in a lunchtime run.
Again I only run where it is light but once DST starts, I’m good.
I love the morning dark but not the night dark.
I’ve never been a fan of running at night (except when I do a Ragnar relay). I’m not really fond of dark in the morning either but sometimes it’s necessary (especially with the time change coming).
I don’t even love the Ragnar relays. I think the races are fun but that night running leaves me edgy and unsettled.
As I read through this and felt the opposite on almost all of it lol 🙂
Used to be when I got home after work, I would run. As I try to get back into running, it might be middle of the day. When I lived in Hollywoodzl, I’d start my weekend run around 11 am!
I do not like running in the dark. I want to see scenery. If I’m not going to look at stuff, I could just run on a treadmill.
Midday running in Florida is a non starter, at least for me. It’s way too hot, humid, and sunny.
I have never been a night runner. When I was younger I would go to the gym after work, and occasionally would run but I was usually done before it got dark. Now, if i dont run in the morning its probably not happening!
No way do I even want to go to the gym late. Once it hits 8PM, I’m done.